Device for opening and closing garage doors



Dec. 6, 71927. 1,651,698 E. s. HALL DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOS INGGA RAGE DOORS File d Oct. 28. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. s) HALL DEVICEFOR OPENING AND CLOSING: GARAGE DOOR-S Dec. 6, 1927.

Filed Oct. 2a. 1926 s sheet-sheet2 lllllllllllll Dec. 6,- 1927. 1 651 698 E. S. HALL DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING GARAGE DOORS Filed 001; 28. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 29 (I If \i 7 @g yg'm-uentoz Z. a Z 1 5 Ill Patented Dec. 6, 1927;

n. E ST EV R TT s. H OF A E re gns.

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, Application filed October 28, 1926. Serial No, 144,799.

. The present. invention is directed togiinr provements in devices for opening and closing garage doors, or the like.

f The primary object. ofthe invention. is to provide a device OfrflhlS character constructed to automatically open the doors as an automobile approaches thev garage, clos- "ing thcdoors after entering-the garage, the

constructionxbeing suchthatthe doors can be.

automatically opened and closed when the automobile is being driven. from the garage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door opening and closing mechanism so arranged that when an automobile is oc cupying the garage the doors cannot. be

opened from the outside of the garage.

.Still another object ofthe invention is to provide door actuating mechanisms so located that they canbe easily encountered by the wheelspf the automobile without any undue steering skill.

- In the. drawings:

; Figure 1 is a top plan. viewof the operat- 1 ing mechanisms,

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the door frame of a garage, to the sides 2 of which are hingedly connected doors 3, each consisting of hingedly connected sections 4: and 5. By sectionalizing the doors 3 it will be obvious that when the doors are opened they will occupy a very little space within the garage. The top sill 6 of the door frame is formed with a longitudinal groove 7 having inwardly inclined branches 8, the lugs 9, carried by the upper edges of the sections being slidably guided in the groove and branches during the opening and closing of the doors. The sections 4 of the doors have secured to their inner faces loops 10,

the purpose of which will appear later.

" In order to properly mount the door-operating mechanism, a pit 11 is provided and extends under the frame 1, there being pits 12 and 13 associated with the pit 11, theformer being located within the garage while the latter is located in the approach to the garage.

The upper ends of: the respectivewpits are providedwith cover plates material. T I

In the pits and 13 are located blocks 15,- and 165 having mounted thereonbearings 17 and 18;, respectively, and journaled in these 14 of any suitable bearings is a main actuating, shaft 1 9. Fixed to the vshaft 19am pinionsY2-1- and 22 and- 23 and 21-, the former pair being located in the pit. 12 while the latter pair is located in the, pit 13, as clearly shownin Figure 1.

Suitably mounted upon the blocks and 16. are guide-members 25 and 26,.respectively, These guide members are provided with roll" er bearings 2'? andv 28, respectively. Yen tica ll y slid-able in the respective guide mem-. bers25 and 26 are rackbars29iand 2 9 and 3.0 and respectively, therear. orsmooth sides thereofengaging: the rollers 27 and 28 to relieve. friction during. thev vertical: movement of the bars and; atfthe same time hold said bars in their proper; relationship, with respect tothe associated; pinions, It. will -be observed;that the rack bars 29 and 2 9 well. asthe rack 30*and305 are arrangedin diagonal relation, and -upon opposite sides of the shaft 19, and since these rack bars mesh With theflShOClELtQd pin ons 21 and 22, 1 0

tary movement will be imparted to the shaft I 19' in reverse direction when the rack bars are alternately depresse'cl.

Owing to the limited space in the garage the rack bars 29 and 29 and associated parts are arranged comparatively close to each otherf Slidably supported longitudinally within the pit 11 are bars 31 and 32, the latter being of greater length than the former, said bars being provided upon their inner ends with rack portions 33 and 34 adapted to mesh with the pinion 35 and from opposite sides thereof, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4; of the drawings. It will be ap parent that upon rotation of the shaft 19 the parts 31 and 32 will slide in reverse directions, the. purpose being obvious. outer ends of the bars 31 and 32 .are pro- The" vided with rack teeth36 and 37 respectively,

The shafts 40am 41 have fixed thereto horizontally disposed arms 42 in which are formed longitudinal slots 43 for'slidably engaging the loops 10, as more clearly illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings. It will be apparent that upon sliding movement' being imparted to the bars 31 and 32 rotary movement will be imparted to. the door-operating shafts 40 and 41 to open or. close the doors.

The operation of the device is as follows: The door 3 being closed, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings, a car in approaching the garage encounters the rack 80 and depresses the same, thus rotating the shaft 19 clockwise through the medium of the-associated pinion 23. This operation'causes the bars 31 and 32 to' slide outwardly, thus rotating the door operating shafts 40 and 41, whereuponthe arms 42 are swung inwardly con ipelhng the sections 4 and 5 of the door to fold inwardly to permit the car to pass freely through the door opening. It will be observed upon reference to Figure 3, that at this point of the operainto the garage until one front wheel encounters the now elevated rack bar 29, whlch being depressed by the weight of the car ro tates the shaft 19 in a reversedirection to close the doors. Since the bar 29 is-now depressed and the bar 29 is elevated, the driver, upon leaving the garage, drives the front wheel of the car upon the rack bar 29, which being depressed causes the door to automatically open. Upon the depression of the bar 29, the associated bar 29 will'be elevated, as well as the bar 30" and since the bar 30 is now elevated a rear wheel of the car, when backing from the garage will encounter the said'bar 30 and depress the same to rotate the shaft 19 in a directionto close the doors.

lVhen a car is occupying'the garage with one of its wheels upon the rack bar 29, the parts will be held against movement, thus holding the door looked as long as the car holds the bar depressed.

The invention, while primarily designed for use in connection with garage doors, can be used with equal success with closures of other types.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

A device of the class described, comprising a pair of doors, a shaft, said shaft having paired pinions fixed thereto adjacent its to open'or close the doors, and operativeconnections between the shaft and doors.

7 In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EVERETT s. HALL. 11. 

